Pomp and Circuitry [SPLIT]

What was even more worrying, as Taori approached the place where Azoth and K414 had flown off to, was the fact that yet another energy blast went off on the Saiyan King's approach, this one coupled with the appearance of an astounding stable power level of 560,000. Nearly twice as strong as Taori had ever reached. For what was supposed to be essentially a mock battle for Azoth, this was concerning. "Azoth, what did you do?" Taori wondered with grit teeth as he finally approached the scene.

Taori swooped in just in time to see K414's head explode.

That alone was enough of a shock, as Taori's eyes grew wide, his mouth agape. K414's body crashed quite hard into the snow, gooey material spewing from the stump where his head once was. Taori didn't know what he was supposed to be doing here - Azoth had just... Killed K414? In cold blood? What threat did the man pose to the Arcosian Emperor? Why the hell would Azoth have gone so far?! In his shock, he barely even noticed his scouter beeping: a notification that he had received a new video message.

One eye still on Azoth, he slowly accepted the message, one from Azuki of all people. Wasn't she... His niece? They hadn't met, formally, but Taori had seen pictures and video called with her and her parents before. 

Little did he know the message he was about to receive would change everything.

Jan 5, 2022 11:49:57 GMT -5 @azukiviolena said:

"Taori, there's been an attack! I, I was just staying in my room with Tsuna when it happened - explosions, screaming, so much smoke... I don't know where she went. I couldn't find her, Sukeru, or Alpinia; I'm sorry, I just... I couldn't. There was this big ship with guns, and it said they were taking the city for Azoth to end the war. It started firing everywhere, so many people..." Taking a pause to convincingly hyperventilate a bit, the camera lens swept over the destruction, zooming in on raging fires, wounded Oozaru, and the corpses of Arcosians still littering the pavement. It dipped downwards to 'accidentally' reveal the lack of a left hand on the girl as she babbled a bit incoherently before taking a deep breath.

"I tried confronting him first, but he was too strong, I couldn't do ANYTHING, and he... he toyed with me like a doll. Using those swords to cut off m-my... hand. He did something strange- magic, or technology, or something I couldn't tell. He made another ME- it was black and white with claws and it, it attacked other people too. There was a long-haired Saiyan who tried helping me only to get nearly killed by the thing. We only managed to take down the ship, but it... it crashed. Into an entire district." The zoom was directed towards a piece of the hull that had miraculously survived the impact, proudly emblazoned with the Arcosian Empire's official symbol.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I don't even know if my mums or my aunt are alive..." Azuki coughed, the camera view shaking horribly as splotches of blood stained the pavement below. "That Arcosian taunted us. Said something about how we betrayed our own kind. He had some sort of ally or informant on where the army was. Zucc... Zuqeita? Zuqetta? Something like that. I don't know who that is, but- I can't stay here any longer. I need to find them and get home... I'm sorry I couldn't do more." 

When the message ended, Taori blinked. There was a... Unique feeling that began to well up in his chest. He'd been angry before - this wasn't anger. This was something else, something that hurt more than mere anger. Nor was it rage or any other more descriptive synonym of the word. In fact, what Taori was feeling was something new to him. In the many long years he'd been a soldier, those he'd fought alongside had been loyal comrades. Saiyans and others who he'd have fought and died for with few reservations, and with those who would have done the same for him. In all those years, not one of them had made him experience this feeling.

Taori felt betrayal.

"Azoth..." he growled as his coal black eyes began to turn a shade they never had before: a sickly, cruel yellow. "Azoth...!" he growled again as his power spiked. His feral eyes whipped around the scene in search of the lizard, who he could now see was fleeing the scene with the body of the man he'd just killed. Taori didn't even hesitate as he blasted through the air with enough force and speed to cause a sonic boom to blare out from where he'd been hovering, and the Saiyan ripped through the air, homing in on his target like a missile.

"AZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTH!!!"

Taori careened into the Arcosian with such force that K414's body would have been sent flying away, and his knee embedded itself so ferociously into the Arcosian it threatened to rip right through the lizard and tear him in two. The force of the explosion of the impact nearly almost blew out Taori's own kneecap, though it managed to stay intact as the dust settled, and there only remained Taori, his body trembling and his eyes burning a cruel yellow. The Saiyan breathed heavily, and his feral gaze darted around as if searching for something else to kill.

Where once could have been kindled a civilized partnership, perhaps even one day a friendship, now existed only a raging flame so intense it burnt what trust did exist to cinders.